League Cup Report with Gardevoir-GX/Sylveon-GX

This past weekend I went to a league cup in Vaughan Ontario with 34 masters, ending the day with a Top 8 finish. The day before the tournament I was planning on playing Gardevoir-GX with Max Potions but that evening I was struggling to beat Buzzwole-GX and Decidueye-GX variants so I decided to switch over to Sylveon-GX so I could use Plea-GX to make matchups like those better.

The List

Card Choices

3 Psychic Ralts, 1 Fairy Ralts

The reason I chose this split of Ralts is because I wanted to have one fairy Ralts for sure in case I played against something dark type that it could resist or something psychic type that the other Ralts is weak to. However I chose three of the psychic Ralts because in the Buzzwole-GX matchup you can hit Buzzwole for 100 damage using a Double Colorless Energy and a Choice Band which is a two hit knockout.

2 Gallade

Two of my teammates Nolan Randall and Dennis Peroff tried to talk me out of keeping the second Gallade in the Sylveon variant of this deck but two Gallade is just really strong in this format, Zoroark-GX is a very popular Pokemon and Gallade can take one hit knockouts on it. It also provides you an attacker that isn't metal weak.

1-1 Zoroark-GX

So this is probably the most debatable spot in my list but I stand by it. In my opinion in the Sylveon variant of Gardevoir you aren't able to lower your hand as easily because of extra Sylveon pieces, extra evolution pieces, and another supporter in the form of Acerola. So, I'd rather be able to consistently draw two cards throughout the game while discard cards I don't need than sometimes drawing more than two and sometimes drawing less.

1 Acerola

The reason I switched back to Acerola from Max Potions for this build of the deck is because I can pick up a damaged Sylveon-GX, then reattach the energy on it to a Gardevoir-GX and/or discard the two Sylveon pieces with an Ultra Ball. In addition to that it can be searched out with Tapu Lele-GX and accessibility is important when you're only playing one of a card. Finally it still serves the healing purpose on Gardevoir-GX while conserving my energy and providing an extra switching card.

Matches

Round 1 VS Brandon Ulian w/Decidueye-GX/Zoroark-GX

This was a really strange game. I went first and opened Ralts in the active with nothing on the bench and no cards in hand that I could play so I just passed. I knew I'd be safe for at least one turn because Zoroark-GX/Decidueye-GX doesn't typically have a way to do 60 damage on the first turn. My opponent started with an Espeon-EX in the active and he played Ultra Ball for Tapu Lele for Brigette to get 2 Rowlet and one Zorua. then he passed back to me. I top decked a second Ralts and knowing I wasn't going to get donked now played it down and evolved my active into a Kirlia then just passed again. Now my opponent plays N which gets rid of my terrible hand and he draws almost nothing, he Ultra Balls away two Decidueye-GX for a Dartix which ends up being his downfall since after that he doesn't manage to set up a Decidueye-GX until near the end of the game. Then he doesn't do anything else and I take my turn. Off the N and get Parallel City and play it down on him, then I get a Sylveon-GX out, play another two Ralts down and Magical Ribbon. He has another uneventful turn and attacks my Sylveon with Zoroark-GX. In the next two turns I set up two Gallade and two Gardevoir knocking out a Zoroark-GX and leaving him with no attackers. For the next couple of turns my opponent just used Miraculous shine over and over again trying to prevent me from taking knockout and managed to run me out of Rare Candy. However the strategy didn't work out for him because I had the one Kirlia in play and was able to evolve right back into Gallade every turn, in the end I managed to take the rest of my prizes on Rowlets, Dartrix, and Tapu Lele. 1-0

Round 2 VS Arden Florendo w/Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX

This was a really quick game unfortunately, I didn't manage to land a single attack until the fifth turn of the game and by then my opponent was too far ahead and they won from there. 1-1

Round 3 VS Cam Henderson w/Gardevoir-GX

This round I was a bit dissapointed because I was going up against my teammate Cam Henderson. I opened Eevee and he opened Vulpix. I went first, got the natural Brigette and evolved into Sylveon-GX then passed. He played Brigette in response for two Ralts and a Remoraid then attached to the bench and ended his turn with a beacon Going my turn I just played N, set up my board a bit more and used Magical Ribbon. Then he just played another Ralts down, played an N and used Beacon again so on my turn I evolved into a Gardevoir-GX, got my Zoroark-GX established, played another N and knocked out Vulpix with a Fairy wind so he couldn't use it to set up anymore. Then on his turn he promoted a Ralts and made a play that I think cost him the game, instead of using N he played Professor Sycamore discarding two Rare Candy and an N among other things. He evolved into a Kirlia that turn and passed so I just played Guzma for the Kirlia and knocked it out with Fairy Wind then he promoted a Ralts and finally got a Rare Candy for a Gardevoir-GX and used Infinite Force. I responded by playing Guzma for Octillery and used Plea-GX to make him pick up his only two benched Pokemon Gardevoir-GX and Ralts. He plays them back down and the next turn I N him and knock out the Octillery since it was stuck in the active. After that can't reestablish a board and although within the last two turns he gets a second Gardevoir-GX in play I'm able to just use Fairy Wind and Infinite Force to steamroll everything else he sends up. 2-1

Round 4 VS Michael Farkas w/Greninja BREAK

I go first starting Ralts against a lone Froakie start and I play a Brigette then just evolve my benched Eevee into Sylveon-GX with Energy Evolution, it's a pretty strong first turn. Then my opponent draws and passes... I play Ultra Ball for Gallade then Rare Candy into it and attach a Double Colorless Energy and take a knockout. 3-1

Round 5 VS Vince De Vera w/Sylveon-GX

This game was really easy. I played N here and there but the main way I won was simply by not overextending. I'd play a supporter, attach some energy, and attack. I didn't worry about digging any deeper because I didn't really need to. Eventually I got enough energy on the board that I was easily knocking out everything in one hit. 4-1

Round 6 VS Dennis Peroff w/Buzzwole-GX/Lycanroc-GX

This round I was paired up against my teammate Dennis Peroff but we were both guaranteed top 8 so as soon as we saw our names in the pairings we decided to tie. 4-1-1

Top 8 VS Dennis Peroff w/Buzzwole-GX/Lycanroc-GX

Game one I go first starting Ralts against a Buzzwole-GX and play Brigette for two more Ralts and an Eevee and attach an energy to a Ralts. On his turn he knocks out my active Ralts so I send up Eevee, I draw and play Professor Sycamore discarded two Double Colorless Energy, after that we trade two shots for a while then he knocks out a Gardevoir-GX with my last Double Colorless Energy on it, I charge up a Sylveon and use Plea-GX but he draws the Guzma and brings up a benched Zorua to knock it out.

Game two on his first turn he hits three Max Elixirs so I am forced to use my Plea-GX early because he starts off with a strong set up and after that he is able to just reestablish his board while I begin to set up mine and he's able to take one hit knockout after one hit knockout. 4-2-1

Changes in Hindsight

-1 Field Blower +1 Professor Sycamore

Overall I was very happy with my Deck list but I did have some trouble with dead draw in my first two games as well as in Top 8 and I only used Field Blower to make an impact at most once or twice during the tournament so I'd be fine with only having one in the deck especially with the option of Twilight-GX. I feel like a fourth Professor Sycamore might fix my consistency issues just a little bit.

Team Stats